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Encarnacion extension not a priority for Blue Jays: Griffin

Agent Paul Kinzer claims opening day deadline not an ultimatum to club.

Edwin Encarnacion hopes to negotiate an extension before next season starts, although his agent says it is not an ultimatum and the Jays are not in any hurry to sit down. (Rick Madonik / Toronto Star) | Order this photo

NASHVILLE—When agent Paul Kinzer walked out of the Blue Jays’ suite at the Opryland on Monday night after delivering face-to-face news to the club’s front office triumvirate that the club must negotiate an extension for Edwin Encarnacion by the start of the 2016 season — or he would test free agency in November next year — there was no suggestion of a follow-up meeting by the Jays. Then the door closed.

Kinzer insisted he had not issued an ultimatum and if the Jays’ star slugger was allowed to walk, that the Jays would have an equal chance to negotiate with him at that time . . . just not during the season.

“The last time, Edwin’s deal was done during the season and he felt it was a real distraction,” Kinzer recalled of the three-plus-an-option contract signed at the 2012 all-star break. “When we negotiated the fourth year with (former GM) Alex (Anthopoulos), he said that, if things were going well . . . talks for an extension would be likely. Edwin loves Toronto and he wants to play there.”

The moment Anthopoulos hinted at is now at hand, but that GM is gone and this is an entirely new regime that is not bound by past suggestions or promises. It has become a vicious circle that will likely lead to losing Encarnacion and Jose Bautista, due to the Jays’ philosophy and the unpredictable nature of pro sports. Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro’s key phrase is “sharing risk” as a huge part of the logic for any extension. Bautista’s contract also expires at the end of 2016.

“A multi-year contract is about sharing risks and can you find that sweet spot where the player feels good about the risk he’s taking, giving up what could be out there in the open marketplace?” Shapiro said. “And the club has to assess what risks exist for them — health, performance — or the other circumstances which is team performance, revenues, all the things that come together with building a team. It’s not about having one player. You have to be able to build a team.”

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One phase of the team-building took place Wednesday, with Sportsnet reporting the Jays re-signed infielder Darwin Barney to fill the backup middle infielder role. Shapiro is confident another free-agent contract is close to bearing fruit and also raised the possibility of using the Rule 5 draft to add bullpen arms or starters for Buffalo, where Shapiro noted the rotation is “five blanks.”

“Right now, we have some other things we’ve got to take care of,” Shapiro said, explaining why there is no date to continue talks with Kinzer. “You’ve got 1,000 balls up in the air, and to be successful at these jobs you have to prioritize. Those (extensions) are big issues that are looming but, right now, we have to fill some spots on this team. And in order to have the best team possible, in order to ensure the best sources of revenue, the most excitement for our fans, what we need to focus on right now is 2016.

“Now I think when you get to spring training, or you get past arbitration (in February), the other things that you shift to, you think, ‘OK, are there contractual issues that we need to think abut prior to starting the season.’ We’re just not in that part of the cycle right now.”

In listening to Shapiro, it’s hard to believe they Jays will sign any extensions prior to opening day. Too risky. To have enough money for the extensions, the Jays need to win and continue Canada’s national baseball love affair, which led to one sellout after another in the second half of the season. But to maintain the revenues, they need to play and to win. The Jays will not have an idea on revenue streams before the season starts. And it sounds as if they will choose not to take a chance with Encarnacion.

“I’m excited that he’s in the lineup for 2016,” Shapiro said. “I can’t speak to deadlines. What I say is this. We’re never going to close the door. We’ll be respectful of a player’s wishes, but we’re not going to be black and white. So we may say, ‘Hey, is there an ability to revisit this over the all-star break when you’re not playing.’ That’s one of the reasons agents exist. They exist to deflect that from a player. So we’re never going to set rules that are so rock solid that we can’t reconsider them — if it benefits both parties, the team and the player. The underlying desire is to keep a player here and we’re going to be open-minded to finding a deal that does that.”

It will be tough to imagine either of the Jays’ veteran sluggers back after their contracts expire in 2016. If Encarnacion and Bautista have subpar years and the team misses the post-season, the Jays likely won’t have the revenues to afford them. If they put up huge numbers, then interest will be high and their contracts could be beyond the reach of the Jays given the exchange rate, plus other contracts like Josh Donaldson coming due.

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